this post was submitted on 20 May 2024
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[–] [email protected] 43 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (11 children)

There are actual reasons for people to open carry a gun. Main goal is to normalize it. Where I live a lot of people open carry, and it's no big deal, no one really cares or notices.

My neighbor moved here from California though, and she was initially terrified every time she saw someone carrying a gun here. But after awhile she got used to it as well. I haven't asked her what her current opinion is on guns, but I know she went from terrified to not caring, which would be considered a positive change from the people who are open carrying around town.

That said, I don't get the impression that most people who open carry are doing it for that reason, usually seems like it more because they want to show off.

[–] [email protected] 137 points 10 months ago (6 children)

Why should we normalize carrying weapons around in daily life?

[–] [email protected] 83 points 10 months ago

They have to protect themselves from all the people carrying weapons around them, of course!

[–] [email protected] 33 points 10 months ago

It makes sense when you realize these people are abject fucking cowards that can’t leave the house without their emotional support firearm.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They yearn for the old cowboy days.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Old cowboy days often involved checking your weapon into lockup at the edge of town...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

You can tell this was a good question because they didn't answer it.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 10 months ago

Normalize carrying a deadly weapon that can near-instantly kill several people at once everywhere you go... You realize how insane that sounds, right!? Other countries are laughing at us!

[–] [email protected] 49 points 10 months ago

Inferiority complexes do that to people.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago

You were so concerned with the undesirability of fear that you forgot why humans naturally experience fear in the first place.

"Don't worry, if you keep your hand on the burner long enough, you'll feel nothing at all!"

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago

Normalize carrying rpg's to the grocery store to protect yourself from dad pranks like tapping your shoulder

/s

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago

I see no reason to normalize open carry when even just owning a firearm, on its own, increases your chance to be killed by a gun for both suicide and homicide. Firearm ownership itself should not be normalized, as a matter of public health.

I get that it makes people feel safer, but it does not actually make them safer. If you don't have an obvious reason to have a firearm, like defending livestock, living in a high-risk environment, or as protection against wild animals, then you are objectively safer not owning one.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

Normalize something that shouldn't exist, and has no reason to?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

If your purpose is to normalize it, and it's normal where you live, then you can stop.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Good old Lemmy, where providing a different perspective gets you downvoted to hell simply because it's not the popular view. I'd even say we are much worse than Reddit when it comes to this, which is ironic.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Several Lemmy communities just straight up delete non-groupthink opinions, even if they don't violate any apparent rules. That's way worse here than reddit ever was.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Are you not familiar with how The_Donald operated or how r/Conservative still operates? There are plenty of subreddits that censor any and all dissenting viewpoints. It happens here too, but I think Reddit's much worse.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Good old Lemmy, where providing a different perspective gets you downvoted to hell simply because it's not the popular view.

You mean the view "let's normalize making life more dangerous for no reason?"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

He's only offering a reason, not necessarily that he supports the reason. Are you guys so fragile in your beliefs that you can't even handle a simple suggestion of a benefit to an opposing view?

A suggestion of a benefit to open-carrying does not equal endorsement, nor does it mean opposing the view that open-carrying can be dangerous. Try to be more open-minded.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Are you guys so fragile in your beliefs that you can't even handle a simple suggestion of a benefit to an opposing view?

What was the benefit again? Normalizing doing it is not a benefit on its own.

"Can someone explain the benefit of wearing your underwear on the outside of your pants?"

"To normalize wearing your underwear on the outside of your pants"

So it's just a fashion statement then?

When someone asks "seriously, what is the argument for doing this, what is the benefit?" A response that exists solely of "to get other people to do it too" does not answer the question as to why that is desirable.

If we move the theoretical out of fashion and into safety, such as someone complaining about people insisting on lying face down in the middle of the street, a response of "they do this to normalize people lying face down in the middle of the street" should not be received well. All it's doing is advocating for making people less safe with zero justification as to why.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Main reasons historically were for work or hunting ... maaayybe to make sure you don't leave the gun somewhere or forget you have it while transporting it.

Congratulations on a take just about perfectly as shitty as most of the replies you've got so far. Just. Wow.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Main goal is to normalize it.

There is a period of US history well known for open carrying.

It's also a period of US history well known for shootings.